Power clutch unit



Aug. 6, 1940. R. K. PEPPER ET AL POWER CLUTCH UNIT Filed June 11, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVEHTEIRS JEUBERT K PEPPER 5A MUEL E, A. PEPPER ATTORNEY Aug. 6, 1940.

R. :K. PEPPER ET AL.

POWER CLUTCH UNIT Filed June 11, 1938 2 Shets-Sheet 2 IHVENTDRS we EUBERTK PEPPER SAMuEL ILA. PEPPER ATTDRNEY Patented Aug. 6, 1940 PATENT GFMCE POWER CLUTCH UNIT Robert K. Pepper and Samuel C. V. Pepper,

7 Syracuse, N. Y.

Application June 11, 1938, Serial No. 213,240

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in a power clutch or coupling unit adapted more particularly for use in connection with heavy duty, slow speed mechanisms such as caterpillar tractors, power operated shovels, trucks or the like.

The clutch or coupling unit comprising this invention is particularly adapted to be used with mechanisms operated by an internal combustion engine or by any other suitable source of power of a similar character. Clutches used in. heavy duty machinery of the above mentioned class are usually of the friction disc or the positive jaw type. Both of these types of clutches are expensive and unsatisfactory to use for this purpose due to the relatively short life of the clutch member caused by the excessive stresses to which they are subjected, and to the frequent replacement of the clutch or of parts thereof which this necessitates. These clutch members and the associated parts thereof are often, if not invariably, mounted in a housing and require much time and labor to be disassembled in order that the clutch and the drive and driven elements associated therewith may be disconnected from each other,

- and the clutch repaired or replaced by another clutch.

One of the main objects of this invention is to provide a clutch unit for connecting a drive memher to a driven member which comprises a manually operated clutch control means adapted to be mounted in a convenient location exteriorly of a housing for the drive and driven members" and a simple, durable and efficient operating means for operatively connecting the clutch control means to both the drive and driven members to be positively driven thereby and whereby the clutch control means may be repaired or replaced by another control means if necessary, without taking apart the members of the drive and driven assembly.

Another important object of this invention is to produce a clutch unit including a remote clutch control and an operating means for connecting the clutch control with the drive and driven members which functions to produce a minimum amount of lost motion, between said drive and driven members when said members are con-- nected by the clutch unit to transmit motion from one to the other.

A further object of the invention is to produce a clutch unit of the above mentioned class which may be constructed with suificientstrength to besuccessfuHy used in connection with a motor which operates at a very high or excessive degreeof power and is not limited to be used in connection with any particular degree of power as is often the case with clutches now in use, particularly when said clutches are of the friction disc type.

Still another object is to provide a clutch unit having a smooth clutching action for connecting drive and driven members to each other when said members are being operated in a lubricant without decreasing the eiliciency of the clutch unit.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a clutch unit of the above mentioned class which includes a clutch control means of such a character that the engagement of the clutch may be gradually effected and thus provide. for slippage between the drive and driven members prior to the positive connection of said members in substantially fixed relation to eachother.

Other objects and advantages pertaining to the detailed construction of the device will more fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a detail vertical sectional View taken substantially on line ll, Figure 2, illustrating a portion ofone form of operating mechanismof a clutch unit embodying the various features of this invention for connecting the control means with the drive and driven members.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2, Figure 1, with a portion of the case broken away.

Figure 3 is a detail horizontal sectional View through the manually operated clutch control means taken substantially on line 33, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional View similar to Figure 1, illustrating a modified form of the operating mechanism shown in said Figure l for connecting the manually operated clutch control means with the drive and driven members.

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on line 5--5, Figure l, 2. portion of the manually operated clutch control means being illustrated in elevation.

Figure 6 is a detail side elevation of the manually operated clutch control means as viewed from line 66, Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional View taken on line 'l-'I, Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a sectional View similar to Figure l,

illustrating a still further modified form of the operating mechanism for connecting the manually operated control means with the drive and driven members.

Figure 9 is a detail longitudinal sectional View taken substantially on line 9-9, Figure 8.

In the structure shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings for the purposeof illustrating the invention, the reference character i9 designates a case or housing adapted to support a drive and driven member and one embodiment of a clutch unit comprising this invention for operatively connecting said members to each other. The case it? is provided. with a cover II which is secured to one end portion thereof by screys 12. The cover It is provided with a centrally located boss 53 which forms a bearing member for rotatably supporting a driven member I l. The driven member id, in this instance, is in the form of a flanged disc mounted within the case it) adjacent the cover H. The disc I4 is provided with a centrally located hub l4 which extends outwardly through the bearing portion l3 of the cover H and has secured to the outer end thereof, as by screws 85, a driven element [6 which in this instance is in the form of a sprocket wheel. The hub M of the disc- M is provided with a centrally located hole which rotatably receives a drive shafe ll therethrough. This shaft 11 extends through the housing in and is journaled in suitable inner and outer bearing members 53 provided on the wallof the housing in opposite the cover H. Mounted on the shaft I! adjacent the inner side of the disc M is a drive plate l9 which is secured to the shaft H, as by a key 29.

so as to rotate in unison with said shaft.

The plate 19 is provided with a stub shaft 2! which projects inwardly therefrom in spaced substantially parallel relation with the shaft i'L' Rotatably mounted on the stub shaft 2! is a pinion 22 which is in'meshing engagement with internal gear teeth 23 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the annular flange Id" of the disc l4. A sprocket wheel 24 is also rotatably mounted on the stub shaft 2| adjacent the inner side of the pinion 22 and which is rigidly connected with said pinion to rotate in unison therewith.

Loosely mounted on the drive shaft I! at the inner side of the drive or carrier plate l9 is a sprocket wheel 25 which is operatively connected with the sprocket wheel 24 by a sprocket chain 25. Rotatably mounted on the shaft l1, intermediate the sprocket wheel 25 and the inner bearing member 58 of the housing I0, is a bevel gear 21 which is fixedly secured to the sprocket wheel 25. The bevel gear 21 is in meshing engagement with a bevel gear 28 secured to the lower end 'of a vertically disposed stub shaft 29 which is journaled in a bearing member 30 provided on the housing In above the shaft 11. The shaft 29 extends outwardly through the housing l9 and has secured to the outer end portion thereof a brake drum 3! in which is encased brake band sections 32. The brake band sections 32,. in this instance, are mounted on two shoes 33, each of which is rotatably connected to the housing 10 at one end thereof by a pin 34, as shown in' Figures 2 and 3. The other ends of the brake shoes 33 are provided with inwardly projecting bearing flanges 35 which receive between them a cam 33 secured to the upper end of a stud 3'! which is rotatably mounted in the upper portion of the housing l6 at'the opposite side of the shaft 29 from pin 34.

A handle lever 39 has one end thereof fixed to the stud 31 so as to produce rotation of said stud. This lever 39 extends outwardly from the stud 31 beneath the brake drum 3| and a pawl 40 is pivotally connected to said lever intermediate the ends thereof. This pawl 40 is adapted to operatively engage a rack 4| secured to the upper wall of the housing H), as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. The lever 39 and cam 35 are maintained in position by means of the pawl 49 and rack M for maintaining the brake bands 32 in the desired pressure engagement with the drum 3!. The pawl 40 may be actuated by a release lever 43 pivotally connected with the outer end of the lever 39 and which is connected with the pawl 49 by a rod 34. The free ends of the brake shoes 33 are urged inwardly toward each other for maintaining the flanges 35 in engage- It will be noted that when the brake bands 33 are out of frictional contact with the brake drum 3!, said brake drum, the shaft 29, and toothed wheels 28, 21 and 25 are free to rotate. It, therefore, follows that when the shaft I1 and the carrier disc l4 are being rotated, the toothed wheels 25, 21 and 23, the shaft 29 and brake drum 3| will be rotated by the engagement of the gear 22 with the internal gear teeth 23 on the driven plate Id when said plate is maintained stationary by a load produced thereon through the medium of the sprocket wheel l6.

' It will also be observed that when the brake bands 32 are removed into frictional engagement with the brake drum 3i by the cam 36 and lever 39, the sprocket wheel 25 will be maintained thereby against rotation so that during rotation of the shaft I1 and carrier disc H! the driven member !4 will be rotated substantially in unison with said shaft and carrier disc due to the engagement of the gear 22 with the internal gear teeth 23. In other words, when the brake drum 3i and toothed members 21, 23 and 25 are thus held against rotation, the sprocket wheel 26 will of course be revolved about the sprocket wheel 25 by the carrier l9. This produces a relative slow rotary movement of the sprocket wheel 24 and the spur gear 22 about the axis of the stub shaft 2!. The direction of rotation of the members 24 and 22 will be the opposite to the direction of rotation of the shaft ii and carrier disc I9 so that gear 22, driving gear 23, will cause the driven members M and E6 to be rotated about the axis of the shaft I? at a slightly slower speed than the speed of rotation of shaft H and disc [9. This rotation of the drive and driven members I! and M with respect to each other is relatively slight owing to the sprocket wheel 25 being constructed with i a relatively small diameter.

Furthermore, it will be understood that the shaft ii and carrier disc I9 may be rotated without rotating said driven member at the maximum speed by manipulating the brake shoes 33 to place a greater or less degree of drag upon the toothed member 25 or resistance to the rotation thereof. It, therefore, follows that the speed of rotation of the driven members 54 and I6 may be readily controlled through the medium of the lever 39 and brake shoes 33 to produce any desired degree of rotation of the driven members from the minimum to the maximum during the operation of the shaft l'l.

In the structure shown in Figure 2, the gear members contained in the'case l0 may be operated while immersed in a suitable lubricant contained in the case. It is necessary that the level of the lubricant be only a short distance above the lower edge of the carrier disc I9, inasmuch thusdeposited upon the gear members associated,

with the shafts l1 and 29. In order to prevent escape of the lubricant outward from the interior of case I between the cover 1 I and huh I 4 of the driven member I4, a suitable packing ring 41 may be provided in the cover H, as shown, to engage the peripheral surface of the hub 14'.

While the shaft l T has been described as being the driving member, it will be obvious that the disc I4 may be the driving member, in which case the shaft 1'! and carrier disc l9 would be rotated at a greater rate of speed than the member It when the toothed wheel 25 is held against rotation by the coaction of the clutch control means which includes brake shoes 33 and brake drum 3!. In other words, the driven member is rotated faster than the drive member when the clutch unit is in the clutching position due to the internal gear 23 driving the pinion 22.

In Figures 4 and 5, there is illustrated a modified'form of structure in which the shaft, as 50, upon which the carrier disc, as Si, is mounted, is the driven member while the flanged disc, as 52, having internal gear 53 associated therewith, is the driving member. In this structure, the driven member or shaft 5!] is rotated at a slower rate of speed than the driving member, disc 52, when the toothed member 54, loosely mounted on shaft 50, is held against rotation. Although the structure shown in Figures d and 5 is not illustrated as being mounted in a housing, it will be understood that this structure may be mounted in a suitable housing in the manner illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings. In order that the drive member 52 may be rotatably mounted in a housing, said member is provided with a centrally located hub 55 adaptedto be received in a suitable bearing, not shown, connected with the housing. I

Associated with the outer end of the hub is a shaft, as indicated at 5B, of any suitable length and which may be operatively connected in any suitable manner with a source of power, not shown. In this instance, the shaft 55 is shown having one end thereof journaled in the hub portion '55 of the disc 52. The other end portion of the shaft 50 is shown extended through a suitable bearing member 57 which may be con.- nected with a housing or other suitable support. The shaft 50 may extend beyond the bearing member 57 and be connected in any suitable manner with an element or mechanism to be operated by the shaft.

In the structure shown in Figures 4 to 'I, inclusive, the carrier disc 5! mounted on shaft 59 rotatably supports a pair of spur gears 59 which are loosely mounted on corresponding stub shafts 69 secured to the carrier disc at diametrically opposite sides thereof. These gears 5d are in meshing engagement with the internal gear 53 provided on the flanged disc- 52. These gears are also in meshing engagement with pinion 54 loosely mounted on the shaft 55.! adjacent the inner side of the carrier disc 5!. A sprocket wheel 62, fixedly connected with the pinion at, is also loosely mounted on the shaft Eli and is operatively connected by a sprocket chain 653 with a sprocket Wheel 64 carried by a horizontally disposed shaft fiiimounted in a housing 66, as shown in Figure 5.

The housing 86 may be mounted in any suitable manner, as upon the bearing member 5'! as shown in Figure 5. This housing comprises an upper chamber 61 and a lower chamber 68, separated by a wall 69. The shaft 65 is arranged to extend through the upper chamber 61 and has secured thereto an eccentric Til which is arranged to rotate within the chamber 6'! between opposite side walls thereof. Journaled upon the eccentric H1 is a bearing block H which is mounted for sliding movement in a frame or head 12 mountedin the chamber 51. The frame or head [2 is mounted upon guideways 13 provided in the chamber 61 for vertical reciprocative movement, that is, for movement at substan tially right angles to the reciprocative movement of the bearing block ll.

Connected with the lower portion of the frame 52 is a plunger 14 which extends downwardly into the chamber 68 and is mounted for vertical reciprocative movement in a cylindrical housing '55 supportedby the housing wall 65. Theilower end of the cylindrical housing '15 is provided with a fluid chamber 16 which is provided with a plurality of inlet openings Ti and an outlet opening 18. The inlet openings 1'! are controlled by valves 19 which are arranged to open as the plunger M moves upwardly in a direction away from the fluid chamber 16. The outlet opening it is provided with a valve 8!] which is adapted to be opened by pressure produced in the fluid chamber it by the downward movement of the plunger M in a direction toward said fluid chamber. The outlet 18 is in communication with a fluid passage 8! provided in a valve casing 82 secured to one side of the cylindrical housing 15.

Rotatably mounted in the casing 82 is a valve 83 for controlling the'fiow of fluid through the passage 8!. extends outwardly through the adjacent portion of the housing 65, as indicated in Figures 5 and 6, and has secured to the outer end thereof a crank arm 85.

In order to prevent leakage of fluid contained in the chamber 63 outwardly around the valve stem 84, a suitable stuifing box, as indicated at 86, may be secured to the housing 66 for receiving the stem M therethrough. The crankarm 85 is connected by a link 81 to an L-shaped lever 88 which is pivotally connected, as at 88, with a segmental rack member 9!) which is secured in any suitable manner, as by a bracket 9!, to the housing 56 over the valve stem 84.

A pawl rod 92, slidably mounted on the lever 88 and actuated by a fingerpiece 9%, is adapted to cooperate with the rack 91] for maintaining the valve 83 in an adjusted position for controlling the flow of fluid through the passage iii.

In operation, the chamber 68 of the housing '66 is substantially filled wtih oil or other-suitable fisthat is normally maintained closed by a plug 96. When the valve 83 is in the open position,

as illustrated in Figure '7, oil or other liquid may freely pass through the passage 8! so that, as the plunger M is reciprocated in the housing 15, liquid pumped into the chamber from the chamber 6% through the inlet passages 1! upon the upward stroke of the plunger will be forced from the chamber 16 through the outlet 58 and passage 8! back into the chamber 58 upon the next downward stroke of the plunger M.

The reciprocation of the plunger, [4 is produced when the drive member 52 is being rotated, through the medium of the gears 53, 59, 54 and sprocket wheels 62 and 64 and the sprocket chain 63.' When the plunger 14 is thus permitted to The stem, as 84, of the valve 63 freely reciprocate, it will be obvious that the carrier disc 5i and shaft 50 will be held stationary by a load connected with the shaft 50, due to the gears 59 being permitted to freely rotate about the stub shafts 00. Rotations of the gears 50 will thus cause a corresponding rotation of the pinion 54 and sprocket wheel 52. When the valve 83 is moved to the closed position, liquid pumped into the chamber I5 by the upward or outward movement of the plunger 'M will be trapped in said chamber and prevent the inward or return movement of the plunger. The shaft 05 will thus be maintained against rotation which in turn will hold sprocket wheels 64 and 612 and the pinion against rotation. As the pinion 54 is thus held stationary, rotation of the internal gear 53 produced by the drive member 52 will cause the gears 50 to revolve about the pinion 54 in meshing engagement therewith and thereby produce rotation of the carrier disc 5| and shaft 50 in the direction of rotation of the drive member 52.

When the pinion 54 is held against rotation and the disc 52 is the drive member, rotation of said disc will carry gears 50 and the carrier disc 5| about the axis of shaft 50. The carrier disc 5| and shaft 50 connected therewith will, however, rotate slightly slower than the drive member 52 due to the gears 59 being rotated about the stub shafts 00 by the engagement thereof with the relatively stationary pinion 54. The direction of rotation of the gears 59 produced by the pinion 54 will be the same'as the direction of rotation of the drive member 52 which causes the carrier disc 58 to rotate slightly slower than the drive member 52.

If, on the other hand, the shaft 50 becomes the drive member and the disc 52 the driven member, then when the pinion 50 is held against rotation, the gears 59 will cause the driven member 52 to rotate at a slightly greater speed than the shaft 50 and carrier disc 5i due to the gears 59 driving internal gear 53 and the engagement of said gears 50 with the pinion 54.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that in the structure shown in Figures 5, 6 and '7, the pinion 55 is hydraulically controlled and the speed of rotation of the driven member with respect to the drive member may be readily governed from the minimum to the maximum by manipulation of the valve 83. In other words, when the valve 83 is in the open position, reciprocation of the plunger I4 will draw the liquid from the chamber 58 past the valve 10 and K through the inlet openings Tl into the chamber I5 and thence outwardly through the outlet open ing I8 past valve 80 and be returned to the chamber 58 through the passage BI.

As the valve 83 is moved from the open position toward the closed position, the resistance to the flow of liquid through the passage BI will be gradually increased, thereby increasing the re-- sistance to the reciprocation of plunger 14 and producing a corresponding resistance to the rotation of pinion 54. It will thus 'be seen that the speed of rotation of the driven member with respect to the drive member may be readily controlled by maintaining the resistance to the rotation of pinion 54 at the required ratio to the load carried by the driven member to be moved.

In Figures 8 and 9, there is shown a still further modification of the invention. The structure shown in these figures is adapted to function in substantially the same manner as that shown in Figures 1 and 2 in that the shaft to which the carrier disc is secured is the drive member while the disc having the internal gear formed thereon is the driven member. This structure is adapted more particularly for a gear connection between the holding pinion and the internal gear carried by the driven member in lieu of the sprocket wheels and chain shown in Figures 1 and 2. In the structure shown in these two figures, the carrier disc I00 secured to the shaft IOI is provided with two stub shafts I02 arranged at diametrically opposite sides of the disc. Rotatably mounted upon the shafts I02 are pinions I03 which are in meshing engagement with the internal gear I04 provided on the flanged disc I05. Secured to the pinions I03 are relatively large spur gears I06 which are in meshing engagement with a pinion I0'I rotatably mounted upon the shaft IOI.

Secured to the pinion I0! is a sprocket wheel I08 which may be connected in any suitable manher, as by a sprocket chain, with a manually operated control mechanism mounted remote from the shaft IOI and sprocket wheel I08 for holding the pinion I01 against rotation. In this structure, as in the other two structures illustrated in the drawings, either the shaft IM or the disc I05 may be the driven member while the other one of these members may be the driver. When the shaft I0! is the driven member, the driven member I05 will rotate at a slightly slower rate of speed than the shaft due to the rotation of the gears I05 about the shafts I02 produced by the pinion I01.

The pinions I01 and I03 are relatively small in diameter while the gears I06 are relatively large, thereby reducing the difference in the speeds of rotation of the drive. and driven member when the pinion I0! is held against rotation to a minimum.

Although there is shown and particularly described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is not Wished to be limited to the exact constructions shown as various changes both in the form and relation of parts thereof may readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

We claim:

In a power clutch unit having a planetary gear system which comprises a shaft and an orbit gear member rotatably mounted in substantially coaxial relation with each other, a sun gear journaled on the shaft, a planetary gear member fixed to the shaft to rotate therewith and having meshing engagement with the sun gear and with said orbit gear for transmitting rotary motion from one of said latter gears to the other gear, the combination with said planetary gear system of means for controlling rotation of the sun gear to vary the speed of the orbit gear comprising a case for containing fluid, a piston chamber in said case having valved inlet and outlet openings communicating with the interior of said case, a piston mounted in said chamber, means operatively connecting the piston with the sun gear, and manually controlled valve means associated with one of said valved passages of the piston chamber and functioning independently of the valve for said passage for controlling the flow of fluid through me piston chamber.

ROBERT K. PEPPER. SAMUEL C. V. PEPPER. 

